Qualcomm to Apple: You Owe Us $7B in Patent Royalties

Apple is “seeking to destroy” the business model it has with the chip maker, says reports.

Qualcomm has said that Apple is $7 billion behind on royalty payments to the chip maker, as heard in a San Diego federal court hearing.

As reported by Reuters, the latest development in the ongoing legal battles between the two US companies has seen Qualcomm accused of unfair licensing practices, and Apple accused of patent infringement.

Apple said that Qualcomm is forcing it to pay for the same patents twice, the report says – once when Apple uses Qualcomm’s chip in iPhones and then again through patent royalties. Qualcomm, meanwhile, said Apple had agreed to its business model for year and is “seeking to destroy it”, the report says.

In an amendment by Qualcomm to court filings earlier this month Qualcomm alleged: “Apple has engaged in a years-long campaign of false promises, stealth and subterfuge designed to steal Qualcomm’s confidential information and trade secrets for the purpose of improving the performance and accelerating time to market of lower quality modem chip sets, including those developed by Intel Corp.”

Qualcomm has for years supplied parts for Apple’s iPhones — including last year’s iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus models. But earlier reports quoted Qualcomm as saying that Apple will exclusively use Intel modems in its phones.